Friendship
by Butterfly Harvester
Summary: A short "missing scene" if you will, in Mortal Kombat 9 story mode.  Kabal and Smoke return Cyber Sub-Zero to the Cathedral in order to reprogram him.


_Title: Friendship_

_Summary: A short "missing scene" if you will, in Mortal Kombat 9 story mode. Kabal and Smoke return Cyber Sub-Zero to the Cathedral in order to reprogram him._

_Smoke has to be my very favorite character and I'd love to have seen this part included. I imagine it would be a little boring, mostly watching Kabal and Smoke kind of half drag, half carry this cyborg to the Cathedral but I also felt that Jax and Sonya perhaps would not be as happy to reprogram Sub-Zero since he did not assist them when they needed it. I didn't realize this would be very Kabal centric. I also did not mean any possibility of putting Raiden in a negative light. I just do not think Smoke would accept his help at this time, first letting Sub-Zero get automated in his place and then offhandedly telling him he felt there was nothing he could do for him._

_It's just a little one-shot, something for me to do to waste some time. I'd like to maybe dabble in MK fics as well so it's practice too._

"Starting to feel like the old days, only faster." Kabal looked down at his scarred and burned arms, arms that, though they had recently been burned by a furry, tiger-striped humanoid like the four-armed female he had just defeated. He had certainly never seen _them _before as he and Stryker patrolled the city. They must have come with the other beasts that were destroying the city around him.

He looked around, taking in the destruction. Before he could begin to wonder where to start searching for Stryker, he heard someone call out, "Sub-Zero!"

To his surprise, a man clad entirely in grey armor hurried past him and to the blue and silver robot he had defeated before his fight with the four-armed woman.

A familiar figure had tagged along with this man (_'Ninja?' _Kabal wondered for a moment), a person that Kabal recalled seeing before being burned and carted off by his old "friend" Kano. Before he could place this man, he spoke to him.

"You have great power indeed, Kabal," he said.

It was then Kabal realized who he was. "Wait," he said, "you're the lightning guy! You helped Stryker! Stryker, is he – "

"He is safe," Lord Raiden said. "He has joined us in the fight against Shao Kahn. We would welcome your aid also."

Before Kabal could speak again, could even try to find out who this Shao Kahn is or what kind of aid he could offer, he heard "Sub-Zero!" again.

He and Raiden turned their attention to the man in gray, who was shaking the cyborg in an effort to bring him around. Kabal could not help but feel somewhat guilty. Obviously this man, Smoke as he would soon find out, knew the cyborg well. Had he just fought a potential ally?

Before he could ask either of them why this possible ally had attacked him, Raiden spoke. "That which makes him Sub-Zero no longer exists."

"He is my friend," Smoke replied as he held onto the metallic body. "What they did to him, it is... hideous."

Kabal looked from Raiden to Smoke. Perhaps this man who could fight with lightning did not hold out much hope, but Smoke seemed to be willing to do anything to return Sub-Zero to whatever state he was before he became hideous.

Kano had helped him, despite his own burns and internal damage. Kabal knew, however, that Kano's efforts to "help" had just been so he could recruit Kabal back into the Black Dragon. If there was some way to assist Sub-Zero, he was going to do it.

"You're right," he told Smoke. "We gotta help him if we can."

He assisted Smoke in getting Sub-Zero to his feet. Not only was his metallic body heavy, but it was also cold to the touch. Smoke did not seem bothered by the cold but the weight was not something he could carry alone.

Together, the cold metal deadweight between them, they began a slow walk down the damaged street. Kabal wanted to know why Smoke was ready to risk angering a man who could create lightning over a robot but did not want to put his question in that form. Instead, he chose to ask, "How long have you known this guy?"

"For many years," Smoke replied. "He is like a brother to me."

At the sound of footsteps behind them, Kabal turned to look. Raiden was following behind them, clearly uncertain as to whether or not there was a way to return Sub-Zero to whatever he may have been.

"Has he always been this – ?"

"No," Smoke said, cutting off Kabal's question. "Only recently did our clan decide to turn its members into cyborgs."

_'Clan?' _Kabal thought. _'I must not have been too far off with that ninja idea.' _

"The cathedral is not too far from here," Smoke told him.

Kabal nodded, knowing immediately which building Smoke was speaking of. It would amaze him if the old cathedral was still standing. Certainly something that large would be an immediate target.

It felt like forever, but the two of them did manage to somewhat drag and carry Sub-Zero to the cathedral. Kabal was curious as to how much damage he had done in his fight with the cyborg.

When the forces of Earthrealm saw them approaching, Stryker and Johnny Cage hurried forward to help hoist Sub-Zero onto the large slab in the middle of the spacious room. Immediately, Smoke looked towards Jax.

"Jax, is there anything you can do for him?"

"Me?" Jax asked. "What do I look like, a computer hacker?"

"Is that Sub-Zero?" Sonya asked.

Smoke did not hear her question. To Jax, he said, "Jax, clearly electronics are something you have expertise in. If anyone could reprogram him, I would imagine it would be you."

Jax crossed his new metallic arms over his chest. "What makes you think I could? I don't know what you Lin Kuei do to people."

"Just try," Smoke implored.

Jax looked at the robotic being in front of him and made his choice. "Aw, hell," he said, reaching for Sub-Zero's access panel, "now I can say I've tinkered with a cyborg." Once he opened the panel, he withdrew his arm in surprise. "Damn that's cold!"

The Earthrealm warriors stood as silent and still as statues, watching as Jax fumbled with the insides of the cyber ninja.

Sub-Zero's internal databanks soon cut on. "That's it," Jax said, "here goes nothing."

The clicks and beeps of his internal mechanics seemed quite loud in the quiet cathedral. "Are you certain this will work?" Smoke asked.

"Hell, no. I've never done this before. Not like there's a manual..." Jax muttered.

Smoke took a hesitant step forward and then another and another until he reached the slab. He leaned over the cyborg that was his friend and asked, "Sub-Zero?" To Jax, he asked, "Can he hear me?"

"He should," Jax replied.

"Sub-Zero?" Smoke asked again.

"Yes, Smoke..."


End file.
